


The Football

by kethni



Category: Veep (TV)
Genre: Childbirth, F/M, Request Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:49:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21933334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kethni/pseuds/kethni
Summary: For CrazyMaryT - I hope you enjoy it.I was asked to surprise CrazyMaryT with the pairing - so I'm leaving it blank for a couple of days. Then I'll a it to the tags etc.
Relationships: Kent Davison/Minna Häkkinen
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	The Football

**Author's Note:**

> For CrazyMaryT - I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> I was asked to surprise CrazyMaryT with the pairing - so I'm leaving it blank for a couple of days. Then I'll a it to the tags etc.

Too early. Too early. It was too early.

Kent half fell out of bed, grabbed his clothes from the chair, and stumbled towards the kitchen. He flipped on the coffee machine and, as it clunked and bubbled, pulled on clean underwear and sweatpants. He poured the coffee and then quickly yanked open the refrigerator to make sandwiches.

‘Kent?’

‘In the kitchen,’ he called back. He bagged up the sandwiches and put them into his backpack along with bananas and a bag of mixed nuts.

She padded in, yawning and stretching. ‘What are you doing?’

He held up the insulated cups. ‘Coffee and snacks.’

‘You are doing that _now_?’

‘If you have time to do your hair and put on makeup then I have time to make coffee and snacks,’ Kent said firmly.

She looked him up and down. ‘That is how you are planning to dress?’

He scowled. ‘Labour can be a long process. It’s important to be comfortable.’

She put her hand on her hip. ‘It is important to make a good first impression on our child.’

‘Uh huh,’ he said. ‘You’re aware that a newborn can only see about eight to fifteen inches. She won’t be able to see what I’m wearing.’

‘_I _can see what you are wearing,’ she pointed out.

‘And yet, that is in no way pertinent to what you claimed to be the issue.’ He kissed her cheek. ‘I’m ready when you are. Have you called the director?’

‘I will call her on the way,’ she said. ‘Do you need to call people?’

‘I’ll text Letty,’ Kent said. ‘She’s an excellent manager. She’ll keep everything running at the ranch while we’re at the hospital.’

He put his arm around her waist and gently pulled her towards the door.

‘Don’t manage me, Kent,’ she complained.

‘Okay,’ he said. ‘But we need to get moving.’

She pulled a face. ‘It could be hours yet.’

‘It could,’ he agreed. ‘Or it might not be. So, for the sake of my blood pressure, please can we go now?’

‘You have the body of a twenty-five-year-old,’ she said. ‘Your blood pressure included.’

‘Humour me,’ he suggested.

***

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. More _energy_ perhaps. It all seemed peculiarly lackadaisical. The nurses and doctors shuffled around as if they were both slightly irritated by being there and lightly harried by the events.

They were left waiting for almost twenty minutes, until a distracted nurse took them through to the maternity suite.

‘You’re the dad?’ he asked.

‘We’re the parents,’ Kent said.

‘The parents?’

‘We’re adopting,’ Kent said, an edge in his voice. He was paying more attention to his partner as she nervously adjusted her hair.

‘Oh _right_,’ the nurse said. ‘Gotcha. Are you going through or would you rather wait?’

Kent glanced at her, although they’d already discussed and agreed it with Heather. ‘We’re going through.’

‘Alrighty then,’ the nurse said. ‘Follow me.’

His partner took his hand. He could feel it trembling. ‘It’s going to be okay.’

‘I know,’ she said. ‘The birth will be fine. She won’t change her mind.’

Kent put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed slightly as they walked through.

‘Now it’s your turn to reassure me,’ he suggested.

***

The truth was that he was every bit as nervous as she was, albeit about different things. He was painfully aware of his age and of all the possible problems that could cause. He tried not to fixate on the possible problems of connecting and having things in common. It was difficult enough connecting to his contemporaries, let alone a child some sixty years his junior.

They had spent months discussing the adoption. Almost a year finding the right adoptive mother. Eighteen months of mounting anxiety. Eighteen months of the gnawing fear that he wasn’t fatherhood material. 

It was different for her. She already had an adult child. She knew that she could love and raise a child. He _hoped_ that he could. Hoped it for more than he’d ever hoped for anything. But he didn’t believe it.

‘Hi guys,’ Heather said. ‘I am on alllllll the drugs.’

‘Just painkillers,’ the nurse murmured.

Kent chuckled. ‘It sounds like they suit you.’

‘Some people respond more strongly to drugs,’ the nurse said. ‘Heather’s tolerance to painkillers is only marginally higher than her baby’s.’

‘Minna!’ Heather said. ‘You look so nice!’

‘Thank you,’ Minna said, giving Kent a smug look. ‘I wanted to look nice for you.’

Heather managed to focus on her. ‘I’m scared.’

Kent took her hand. ‘It’s going to be okay.’

‘You’re gonna look after the baby?’

‘We’re going to love the baby,’ Kent promised.

She smiled. ‘Yeah. You are.’

***

‘Calm down,’ Ben said.

‘I’m calm,’ Kent said.

‘You’re wearing a grove in the floor.’

‘It helps his anxiety,’ Minna said. She was stood in the corner of the room with her arms wrapped around herself.

‘Your wife needs you –’

Minna gave a sharp intake of breath. ‘Do not use me to justify your toxic masculinity,’ she said. ‘Kent is anxious and upset. He needs to process that, not worry about me. It is normal and healthy.’

Ben reddened but the door was opened before he could reply.

‘Everything is fine,’ Joyce said immediately, walking through the door. ‘I know the nurse. The baby’s heartbeat was a little irregular but it’s fine. They’re cleaning her up and they’re going to bring her down.’

Minna exploded into tears, collapsing down onto the floor. Kent rushed over and pulled her up into an embrace.

‘It’s okay,’ he promised.

‘I know,’ she sniffled. She took a deep breath and stood up straight. ‘Has my makeup run?’

‘You look like a panda,’ Joyce said helpfully.

Kent rolled his eyes. ‘You look beautiful.’

‘What will the baby think?’ she asked.

‘She’ll think that you’re her mother,’ Kent said. ‘And that she’s lucky to have you.’

Ben stood up as the door opened again. This time it was a midwife, holding a wrapped-up bundle.

Minna took a tissue and wiped her eyes.

‘Here she is,’ the midwife said. ‘Who is mommy?’

‘I am,’ Minna said.

Kent took a deep breath and then another. Minna took the baby and held her as easily as if she’d been doing it all her life.

‘All the paperwork is done?’ Ben asked. ‘Adoption all nailed down?’

‘Yes!’ Kent snapped. ‘All the Ts are crossed and the Is are dotted.’

‘That’s okay then,’ Ben said.

Minna turned to Kent. ‘Come hold her.’

Ben clapped him on the back. ‘Hold her like a football.’

‘Like a…’

Minna handed Kent the baby. He looked down into the tiny, screwed-up red face, eyes still full of tears, and the world changed.

She filled his arms and his heart. He knew, _knew_, that she weighed seven pounds and four ounces, but he felt the weight of responsibility, of the desperate need to protect her, threaten to pull him from the earth.

‘She’s beautiful,’ he whispered.

‘They all –’ Ben began.

‘Shut up!’ Joyce snapped.

‘She’s so beautiful,’ Kent said, looking up.

Minna smiled and gently dried his eyes with a tissue. ‘You are crying all over her.’

‘I don’t care,’ he said. ‘She’s my daughter. I’ll allowed to cry all over her.’

The End


End file.
